Driving means for cement-mixers.



E. F, & H. WEGE. v DRIVING-MEANS FOR CEMENT mans. v APPLICATION FILED MAR. 30; I916. 1,212,593. I Patented Jan. 16,1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET I.

s I 1 Q m 2 7" i 50 /f f4 /fi/@ x64 E. F. & H; WEGE. DRIVING MEANS FOR'CEMENT MIXERS.

APPLICATION man MAR. 30. 1916- I v Patented Jan.16,1917.

' 4 SHEETS-SHEET 2 E. F. a H. WEGE. v DRIVING MEANS FOR CEMENT MIXERS.

. APPLICATION FlLED MAR. 30. l9i6- 1,212,593. v 1 Patented Jan. 16, 1917. 4 v k 4 SHEETS-SHEET 3- MMMMQO 11mm) STATES PATENT orrron ERNEST F. WEGE AND HENRY WEGiE, OF LA CROSSE, WISCONSIN.

DRIVING MEANS non cnmnn'r-mrxnns,

Patented Jan. 16, 1917.

Application filed March 30, 1916. Serial No. 87,809.

v To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, ERNEST F. Wncn and HENRY Wren, citizens of the United States, residing at La Crosse, in the county of La Crosse and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Driving Means for Cement- Mixer-s; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This inventionrelates to useful improvements in driving means for rotary elements and more particularly to mixers mounted on portable trucks and equipped with a pair of driving gears rotatable as a unit and incapable of independent rotation. Heretofore, it has been the common practice to secure on a single driven shaft a pair of pinions meshing with the aforesaidgears, but it has been found that when these gears and pinions are roughly cast as this class, they cannot be so accurately constructed as to cause the teeth of both pinions to act properly Ton their respective gear teeth, it having been found that throughout certain portions of a revolution the teeth of one pinion will be active, while throughout another part of a revolution the teeth of'the other gear will come in use.

The main object of the invention is to overcome the difficulty above pointed out by mounting the two driving pinions on independentshaft sections, by providing a main driving member, and by employing differential gearing connecting said main driving member with said shaft sections. By this means, slightly in speed and thus the two may at all times be active drivers.

Another object of the invention is to provide such an arrangement of parts as to allow the differential serve for driving the mixer, this shaft being used for propelling said truck when the mixer is not in use.

With the foregoing general objects in view, the invention resides in certain novel features of construction and in unique combinations of parts to be hereinafter fully described and claimed, the descriptive matter being supplemented by the accompanying drawings which constitute a part of this application and in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine usual on a machine of the two pinions may fluctuate.

shaft on the truck to constructed in accordance with the invention; Fig. 2 is a top plan view with parts' broken away and in section showing the relatlon of parts when driving the cement mixing drum; Flg. 3 is a longitudinal section taken on the plane of the line 33 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary top plan vlew showing the relation of parts when propelling the entire machine; Fig. 5 is a transverse section taken on the'plane indicated by the line 55 of Fig. 4; and Fig. 6

is a detail perspective of the link and lever mechanism used for shifting the driving p 1n1ons into and out of mesh with the gear rings.

In specifically describing the construction illustrated in the drawings above briefly described, similar characters will be placed on correspondlng parts throughout the several views and reference will be herein made to the numerous elements by their respective indices. To this end, the numeral 1 designates the frame of a portable truck, said frame being of any preferred construction and having a pair of rear driving wheels 2 and a pair of dirigible front wheels 3, the latter being controlled by a steering wheel 4 such as that commonly used on automobiles, the wheel 4 being positioned inadvance of a suitable seat 5. Also disposed in close proximity to the seat 5 are brake and clutch pedals 6 and a gear shifting lever 7, this being common equipment for transmission of power from an engine 8 to alined as shown, said sections having on their outer ends clutch members 13 splined thereon and adapted to be locked in adjusted position by set screws 14. The members 13 cooperate with additional clutch members 15 fast on driving sprockets 16 which are mounted loosely on the ends of the sections 12, sprocket chains 17 being controlling the I the driving wheels 2. Preferably, the engme 8 will be of the gasolene type housed in passed around said wheels 16 and around similar wheels 18 which are secured either difierentialsQO, the one shown consisting of a main driving member 21 in the form of a beveled gear driven from the shaft 19 and carrying the usual idle pinions 22 meshing with gears 23fast on the shaft sections 12. As is well known, this arrangement of gearing allows the two shaft sections 12 to fluctuate in speed as occasion demands in the propulsion of the vehicle, particularly when making turns. It is the intention of the present .invention to apply this fluctuating drive not only for moving the entire machine forwardly or rearwardly as the case may be, but for driving a cement mixing drum 25 or the like mounted preferably on the rear end of the frame 1.

The drum 25 is provided with a pair of surrounding rings 26 havin between their edges annular gear rings 2 the rings 26 being supported on rollers 28 mounted on transverse shafts 29 carried by appropriate bearings which are secured to the frame 1. Coiiperating with the gear rings 27, is a pair of driving pinions 30 which are splined one upon the outer end of each shaft section 12. These pinions are shown in the present embodiment of the invention as having peripherally grooved hubs 31 suitably connected with shifting levers 32 fulcrumed in any suitable manner and connected by links 33 with an operating lever 34 fulcrumed on the frame 1, one of said links being pivoted to the lever 34 above its fulcrum, while the other link is connected therewith below this point. Although this arrangement is pref- "erably employed since it allows both pinions 30 to be shifted inwardly or outwardly simultaneously as the case may be, other means of moving these pinions could well be used and in fact they might be loose on the shaft sections 12 and equipped with clutches for connecting them to said sections at will.

By constructing the machine in the man ner above described, the engine 9 through the instrumentality of the driving shaft 19, difierential 20, and shaft sections 12, may drive the sprocket wheels 16 when the clutch members '13 are moved into engage ment with the members 15 and locked in this position by the set screws 14. Thus, the entire machine may be moved from place to place under. its own power (see Fig. 4).

-When the destination is reached "at which the cement mim'ng is to be done, the members 13-will be moved to and locked in the position shown in Fig. 2, and the lever 34 will be operated to mesh both pinions 30 with the driving rings 27. When the shaft 1 relates sections 12 are now rotated by the power from the engine, said sections will in turn drive the aforesaid pinions with the result that the latter will turnthe gearrings 27,

thereby rotating the drum 25. Any irregu-c larities in the teeth of the pinions and gears will now be compensated for by the difierentials 20, thereby causing both of said pinions to act with equal driving power on their respective rings 27.

We have described and shown sprocket chains "for transmitting power from the shaft sections 12 to the wheels 2, but we do not wish to be limited to this arrangement since any other equivalent would obviously sufice. Similarly, although pinions 30 and gear rings 27 will be gen- I erally used for transmitting power from the aforesaid shaft sections to the drum 25, other mechanical expedients could here also be employed.

The mixing drum 25 may be mounted on the rollers 28 or in any other preferred manner, and although a frame such as that I disclosed at 10 is preferably used for carrying the inlet and discharge chutes 41 and 42 of said drum, it is to be here also under stood that this is not a salient feature and is therefore subject to a wide range of variance. v

Since a great amount of heavy sawing is usually, necessary in constructing the forms for concrete and cement work, the machine is preferably equipped with a wood saw 56 which will usually be located at the rear end of the frame 1, this saw being driven by a belt 51 from a pulley 52 on the rear end of a shaft 53 extending longitudinally of the machine and having a ear 54 capable of shifting into and out o engagement with another gear 55 secured to the engine shaft 19. A set screw or the like 56 is provided for locking the gear 54 in adjusted position on the shaft 53. Thus it will be obvious that when the use of the saw 50 is not necessary; it need not be driven. The pulley 52 may be supplemented by others of different sizes if found desirable .and' it and its supplements if the latter be used, may be employed for driving numerous types ofmachines.

A machine constructed substantially as shown and described will he found to be highly eflicient and durable and to fulfil long felt needs in the art to which it relates; Furthermore, regardless of these characteristics, it will be comparatively simple, inexpensive, and easy to operate.

THE

In the accompanying drawings, a number vention as claimed, numerous changes may be made without sacrificing the primary advantages.

' of specific details have been shown for illusent rotation, a pair of shaft sections, drlvlng connections between said shaft sections and driving members, and differential gearing for rotating said shaft sections and permitting fluctuation in the speeds thereof to at all times equalize the driving power on the two driving members.

3. In. combination, a rotary drum having a pair of longitudinally spaced driving gears permanently secured against independent.

rotation, a pair of shaft sections having pinions meshing with said gears, and means for driving sald shaft sections including means for permitting said sections to fluctuate in speed to at all times equalize the driving power on the two driving gears.

4. In combination, a portable truck having a pair of independently rotatable driving wheels, a rotary drum mounted on said truck and having a air of longitudinally spaced driving mem ers permanently secured against independent rotation, a pair of shaft sections for] driving either said wheels or said driving members at will, a power plant on the truck, and means for driving said shaft sections from said power plant, including means for permitting said sections to fluctuate in speed to equalize the driving power thereof whether this power be exerted on the wheels or said drivin members. I

5. In combination, a portable truck having a pair of independently rotatable driving wheels, a rotary drum mounted on said truck and having a pair of longitudinally spaced driving members permanently secured against independent rotation, a pair of shaft sections for drivin either said wheels or said driving mem ers, at will, differential gearing connecting the two shaft sections for permitting the same to fluctuate in speed'to equalize the driving power thereof whether this power be exerted on the wheels or on said flrivingmembers, and a tions between said sections and said wheels,

additional separable driving connections between said sections and said driving members, and means on the truck for rotating said shaft sections and for permitting the same to fluctuate in speed to at all times equalize the driving power thereof whether this power be exerted on the wheels or on said driving members.

' 7 In combination, a portable truck having a pair of independently rotatable driving wheels, a rotary drum mounted on said truck and having a pair of longitudinally spaced driving gears permanently secured against independent rotation, a pair of shaft sections, separable connections between said sections and said wli'eels, pinions on said shaft sections adapted to mesh with the aforesaid gears, and means on the truck for driving sald shaft sections and for permitting the same to fluctuate in speed to at all times equalize the driving power thereof whether this power be exerted on the wheels or on the aforesaid gears.

8. In combination, a portable truck having a pair of independently rotatable driving wheels, a rotary drum mounted on said truck and having a pair of longitudinally spaced driving gears permanently secured against independent rotation, apair of shaft sections, separable driving connections between said sections and the aforesaid wheels,

inions on said shaft sections to be moved into and out of mesh with the aforesaid gears, differential gearing connecting the two shaft sections to permit the same to fluctuate in speed to-at all times equalize the driving power thereof whether exerted ing witnesses.

ERNEST F. WEGE. HENRY WEGE, Witnesses:

A. P. PARSONS, A. LEE.

onthe wheels or. on the aforesaid gears, and 

